Tuesday, February 12, 2013

12:48 PM

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said prior to today’s floor session that he’s withholding support of potential changes to the Medicaid program until he sees the details in a likely announcement from the governor tomorrow.

But the Rochester Republican said he likely agrees with Walker about the need to “maintain the maximum flexibility for the state.”

“I have always been very leery about taking a promise from the federal government at face value,” Vos said in a press conference. He said Walker has not indicated to him which way he is leaning in his decision about accepting federal funding to expand Medicaid.

Vos also said he wanted to see more details about new budget proposals for law enforcement and the UW System, though he conceded that incidents like the $33 million in overpayments by the UW “really weakened my confidence.”

The speaker also touted a constitutional amendment to ban transfers from the state transportation fund as a first step in protecting infrastructure funding.

Rep. Keith Ripp, R-Lodi, added he would like to see other segregated funds similarly protected, but that the transpo fund is “the largest fund, and it’s been abused the most.”

And Rep. Dean Knudson, R-Hudson, highlighted a bill to exempt veterinarians from the state’s prescription drug monitoring program. Knudson, himself a veterinarian, said the current requirement only serves to hinder veterinary practices and undermine data collected from other prescription sources.

“Including veterinarians does nothing to protect the public,” Knudson said.